State of School Science A Review of the Teaching of Mathematics, Science and Social Studies in American Schools, and Recommendations for Improvements. (1979) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
Factors Affecting the Quality of Instruction
Factors Affecting the Quality of Instruction
Pages 29-37
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 29... ...
Ironically, the CEEB panel laid some of the blame for the decline in SAT scores on a deterioration in student writing ability, brought about in part by the increasingly widespread use of easily scored multiple-choice tests (like the SAT) at all educational levels: Our firmest conclusion is that the critical factors in the relationship between curricular change and the SAT scores are (1)
|
From page 30... ...
. Although the "return to the basics" has shifted into high gear in school systems throughout the United States it is paradoxical that this activity has been accompanied in many school districts by an increased molecularization of the curriculum into disembodied learning objectives, the achievement of which is usually indicated by student performance on standardized or criterion-referenced multiple-choice tests.
|
From page 31... ...
A statistically significant decline in achievement on the test exercises was noted between the first and second science assessments for all three age levels. A further decline was noted for seventeen-year-olds in 1976-77; their average scores were lower on both biology and physical sciences exercises, although the decline was greater in the physical sciences.
|
From page 32... ...
However, 13 percent of the secondary science teachers surveyed were teaching one or more courses for which they felt inadequately qualified, as did 12 percent of the social studies teachers and 8 percent of the mathematics teachers. Most such teachers indicated concern about their qualifications to teach courses within their general subject area; for example, a science teacher qualified to teach biology might have indicated a concern about being unqualified to teach earth science or chemistry (Weiss, 1978, p.
|
From page 33... ...
and much lower for elementary school teachers, averaging less than 10 percent for science and 5 percent for mathematics. Only a few of the social studies teachers surveyed had attended NSF institutes or workshops; this is not surprising since NSF sponsored a relatively small number of such in-service training activities in the social sciences (Weiss, 1978, p.
|
From page 34... ...
Second, laboratory experiences provided information that is almost impossible to convey in a textbook. Printed words and static illustrations cannot capture the complexity of the behavior of microorganisms in a droplet of pond water or of the ways in which waves passing through two narrow apertures interact to produce interference patterns.
|
From page 35... ...
This problem has been exacerbated by the termination of categorical National Defense Education Act support for the purchase of science equipment and the improvement of laboratory facilities. The NSF statistical survey revealed that shortages of science supplies and equipment were identified as a major problem by over onethird of the secondary school science teachers and by over half of the elementary teachers of grades 4-6 (Weiss, 1978, p.
|
From page 36... ...
An increased emphasis on the "basic" learning skills, such as reading, arithmetic, and spelling, is preempting time previously available for the study of science, social studies, and mathematical concepts, especially in elementary schools. The NSF case studies observers found that in most schools natural sciences, mathematics other than basic arithmetic, and social science inquiry were seen as having a rather limited value for the student body at large, and that providing a strong K-12 program in science for those students who will become the nation's future scientists was not a high priority in most school systems (Stake and Easley, 1978, p.
|
From page 37... ...
Few school principals have a good academic background in science or mathematics; this makes it difficult for them to help teachers to develop effective science and mathematics instructional programs. School administrators have increasingly had to become managers and interpreters of the school bureaucracy, rather than educational leaders.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.